Let's Fabricate!
by 00Fangirl
Summary: To fabricate is to invent or concoct something, typically with deceitful intent. Unfortunately for Alice, she had a habit of doing just that to please her parents. She has the advantage of being thousands of miles away from them, so her lies have never caught up to her, but when her parents announce a surprise trip, Alice has less than 24 hours to make all her lies a reality. AU
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! This is a new story i've been working on for awhile as like a side project. I will continue to update Map That Leads To You regularly (Next update will be when I get home from school shopping. I'm sorry if it seems a bit rushed, now that I read it over it kind of does, but it's just part of the story. Anyways here are somethings I want to clear up before we start**

**Francis and Michelle (Seychelles) are siblings. Francis is 26 Michelle is 19. This will be Fem! Enlgand, and she is 23. For the sake of this story, Peter is the older brother 26 as well, and Paula(Wy) is 25. other than that i'm pretty sure the rest will clear itself up! Enjoy!**

**As always let me know of any spelling errors.**

* * *

Alice Kirkland let out a huff of exhaustion when she finally reached the old, rugged apartment building. She tucked her fingers into the pocket of her work apron and pulled out the key to her flat. She had just finished working a twelve hour shift at the restaurant across town and she was only a few moments away from going home and spending the next two days resting.

When she reached the front door, her green eyes glistened with curiosity at the florescent pink paper that was taped to her door. Her eyes scanned the paper and she gasped. She read over the paper a second time, then a third, and finally a fourth before she ripped it from the door and tore it up. It had to be a lie, it was total bollocks that something like that would happen to her.

Alice reached her shaking hand toward the doorknob and just as she was about to open it, the knob jiggled open from the other side. When the door was finally tugged open, Alice felt a pool of water surround her feet and seep through her shoes. She stood frozen in complete and total shock as she stared at her landlord with wide eyes and her mouth agape.

"I-I... What?" She finally spat out after blinking a few times. The intimidating man before her grunted lowly and stepped outside, his feet splashing in the newly formed puddles around the entrance of the house. The man picked up all the scraps of the soggy pink paper and sighed.

"The paper said it all..." His strong Swedish accent rung throughout the dark and empty street and Alice blinked once more.

"Yeah, I know... I read it." She could feel her tone growing more hostile with every word she spoke so she took a deep breath before she continued. "Berwald, I sent you to get the pipes fixed ages ago!"

The landlord sighed and nodded apologetically. "I sent plumber before. He said he fixed it. He said he replaced it. Guess not."

Alice bit her lip to keep from cursing and ended up drawing blood from it. "Is the entire flat _this_ bad?" Her hands motioned to the floor and the water around them.

"Upstairs is worse. Pipes started breaking in bathroom." Alice's eyes, if even physically possible, widened even more. She brought her shaking hands to massage her temple and took a shaky breath.

"Pipes? As in more than one? Blimey... May I have a look around? I'll see if I can pack up a few things and then find a place to stay tonight..." Berwald simply nodded at her words.

Alice stepped through the front door, and she was already ankle-deep in water. She felt a small tap on her forehead and looked up, only to bet met with a droplet of water on her glasses. She sighed and trudged past her damaged, nearly brand new, furniture and up the stairs. The water raced down as she went up, which caused her to lose her balance a few times, and she groaned when she got to the top step.

Water was practically bursting through the tiny opening underneath the bathroom door. The water that wasn't cascading down the steps was spread out evenly across her wooden bedroom floor. It creaked under her weight as she carefully made her way to the small closet and pulled open the door.

Alice cursed under her breath at the scene. All her shoes were completely soaked, as well as a couple of boxes, of personal belongings, that she kept hidden in her closet. She grabbed the box closest to her, along with a handful of clothing, and headed carefully down the stairs. When she reached the entrance to the apartment, Berwald's eyes shot up and he sighed.

"Bad news." He muttered as Alice made her way toward her car. She opened the door and stuffed the soggy cardboard box in the back seat.

"Worse than this? Oh I wasn't aware that this was the good news." She muttered sarcastically, and rather coldly. Alice then realized her words and ran a hand through her wild, unkempt, after-work hair. "Sorry... What is it?"

"Yes." He answered truthfully to her first statement. "I just talked to the contractor. He said that it's going to be torn down and rebuilt... Only way to fix the problem..."

Alice shut her eyes and counted slowly to ten, a trick her mother had taught her when she was younger to control her anger. When she finished, she opened her eyes and sat on the hood of her car. "That's ace!" She spat.

"I apologize..." The older man adjusted his glasses and pushed them to the bridge of his nose. "He is coming down in the morning. Reconstruction will start right away... Do you have everything?"

Alice shook her head. "I left a couple of boxes in my closet... Do you mind going to get them? Along with a bit more clothes? I need to make a phone call..."

Berwald nodded and disappeared into the apartment. Alice slid off of the car, opened the passenger's side door, and reached into the glove compartment to pull out her phone. When her eyes met the time she cringed... There was only one person she could call at this time. She searched through her contacts and her finger lingered above the name for a few seconds before she pressed the call button.

One ring... Two rings... Three rings... A familiar laugh filled the silence of the picked up phone and she groaned. "Oh, _mon cher_! I haven't heard from you in a while! That's no way to great an old friend, I thought you were a lady!" A fake gasp left the lips of the Frenchman.

"Oh bite me, frog! Just put your sister on the phone. I called her, not you." Her irritation only grew when the man on the other line laughed again.

"_Angleterre_, who knew you had it in you to be so... Vulgar! Nonetheless, I'll give my little brat of a sister her phone back, it just brings me great joy to hear your voice again!" Alice let out a deep sigh and the laugh begun again, only this time, it faded into a yelp of pain.

"Sorry about that..." Her best friend let out a half-worried, half-amused chuckle. "What's up? You do realize it's almost midnight, right?"

Alice swallowed the lump in her throat, as well as her lady-like pride and started. "Well... I was kind of hoping you could help me out with something..."

* * *

By two in the morning Alice was completely settled into her temporary living space. Michelle and her older brother, Francis, shared a two-bedroom apartment; it was mostly because Francis was still a bit overprotective of his nineteen year-old sister. Michelle didn't mind though. She, for some strange reason, adored and idolized her older brother.

Michelle offered up her bedroom, but Alice quickly declined. She was a guest, she didn't mind sleeping on the couch. After a ten-minute dispute, Michelle finally let Alice confine herself to the couch, only after being reassured over a dozen times that it was fine.

After settling sleeping arrangements, Alice realized that she had forgotten to pack any sort of pajamas, since she had been too upset to look through her drawers. Francis ended up lending her one of his shirts, only because Michelle had no clean nightwear available.

Then, the three sat down at the dinner table and Alice explained what had happened over a cup of tea. The siblings nodded understandingly and Michelle offered their home as long as she needed it, while Francis made a crude joke about being able to sleep with her whenever he wanted (which resulted with an angry blow to the face).

Everything led up to their current position. The three were huddled together, with Michelle in the middle, as they sat watching a horror film... At two in the morning. None of them had to work later that day, so they decided it would be a good bonding experience.

"No! Don't go in there!" Michelle shouted as she nuzzled into her big brother's chest whilst tightly squeezing Alice's hand in the process. The British girl was used to weird horror films, and 28 Days Later just happened to be one of her favorites, so it didn't really affect her.

What did affect her, though, was the sound of her phone rattling against the wooden floorboards. The trio jumped at the sound, and Michelle's scream echoed throughout the apartment. After they paused the movie, and calmed Michelle down a bit, Alice answered her phone, not even bothering to look at the caller ID.

"Do you not realize that it's two in the morning?" Alice snapped upon answering the phone. A familiar gasp filled her ears and she cursed mentally.

"_Young lady, what sort of tone is this? Certainly not one to be had with your mother_!" She then heard a sigh come from the phone before her mother continued. "_I know it's early over there, I just couldn't wait to tell you the news, poppet_!"

"What news?" She asked with a roll of her emerald eyes. The siblings shot her a confused look and she responded by mouthing the word _mom._

"_Well you know how your brother got married the other day?_"

"Yes, mum. You sent me the wedding pictures." Alice huffed in an annoyed tone, causing the eavesdropping siblings to giggle a bit. Alice mocked them and huffed, refocusing her attention on her mother.

"_Alice Elizabeth Kirkland are you listening to me? Who are you with?_" Her mother scolded from the phone. Alice sighed and answered truthfully.

"I'm with Francis and Michelle mum, and honestly, no I wasn't because the lot are being quite distracting."

Her mother's tone changed drastically. "Oh! Tell my darling sweetheart's that I miss them, and so does their mother!" Alice repeated what she said and Francis snatched her phone to put it on speaker. He subtly flirted at the older women, whose tone shifted toward slightly uncomfortable when she finally spoke up again. "_Poppet. I was trying to tell you that Peter is taking us on a trip to America to celebrate his wedding! Paula, God bless her beautiful soul, is dying to see the States and wants to take us all on a family trip." _

Francis and Michelle cheered from beside Alice. They hadn't seen Mrs. Kirkland in nearly eight years, since Francis moved himself and Michelle to America. Mrs. Kirkland had always been like a second mother to the two, and the day they left was heartbreak for the old woman.

Alice, on the other hand, was baffled. She had moved to America in hopes to only see her family when she wanted too. As awful as it may sound, Alice moved away from England _because _of her parents, and she had been fabricating lie upon lie about why she hadn't visited them in the past five years.

"I… I…"

"Mom, I think what she _means_ to say is, that she's thrilled about the news!" Michelle covered up as she glared at her best friend.

Mrs. Kirkland's smile could be heard through the phone. "_Not as thrilled as we are! I'm dying to meet this mystery fiancé Alice is always going on about._"

Two pairs of eyes landed on Alice with amused grins following close behind. "Oh, I bet he's going to be _flabbergasted_ when he meets a pretty woman like yourself, don't you agree?" Francis said smoothly.

Mrs. Kirkland squealed happily. "_Oh! I cannot wait! I've got to go start packing now, our flight leaves tomorrow morning, in less than twenty-four hours_."

The women said her goodbyes and once the line went dead, the Bonnefoy siblings crossed their arms and arched their eyebrow's at the unusually pale Brit. Alice looked up at them, her eyes filled with worry, regret, and frustration. Michelle's expression softened almost instantly, but Francis still held his pose.

Michelle was the first to talk. "'Mystery Fiancé,'" she said as she place air quotes around the words.

Alice sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Can we talk about this later? I have had the worst possible series of event happen to be in less than twelve hours. I think that I deserve a break." Her words didn't sound cold, they sounded lost. Michelle got up and went to fetch a blanket and a pillow for her friend.

"_Mon amour,_ don't forget. My bed is always an option if you choose to make it one." The Frenchman sent a wink her way as he tied his shoulder length hair back into a low ponytail. Alice was too lost in her thoughts to even acknowledge the fact that he had made a remark. Francis sighed and headed off toward his room. Michelle came back with pillows and a blanket, and tucked her friend in all before shutting off all the lights in the apartment and heading off to sleep herself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello guys! Here's an update :D Thank you all so much for your comments, follows, and favs. They make me so happy :D **

**Alfred finally gets introduced this chapter, are you guys excited? He's 21 in this fic :D**

**I want to apologize early for any and all OOC'ness, i tried my hardest :)**

**Enjoy! **

* * *

Alice sat at the round kitchen table with a freshly made cup of tea in one hand and a newspaper in the other. Her left leg was crossed over her right one in the most lady-like manor and she sighed. It was nearing noon and neither of the Bonnefoy siblings had woken up yet. She, on the other hand, hadn't slept a wink. Every plausible situation had crossed her mind in those past ten hours and she had no way of stopping it.

After a long sip of tea, Alice folded up the newspaper and placed it on the table, only to be startled by bright brown eyes that stared back at her energetically. "Wow, you look like _merde_." The younger girl commented as she stared intently at the dark bags under Alice's eyes and her unkempt hair.

"Gee, thanks. What a wonderful way to start the morning…" Alice huffed as her lips pressed into a thin line.

Michelle rolled her eyes at the elder girl and scoffed as she took a seat across from her. "You should hear the things Francis says to me." The girls heard a door open and shut behind them and sighed simultaneously. "Speak of the devil."

"_Bonjour, vous démon laid de l'enfer." _Said Frenchman called from his place in the hallway. Michelle raised her eyebrow as if to say _I told you so._ He was happily humming a tune before her stepped into the kitchen and froze. His eyes met with Alice and he chuckled. "Oh, _mon cher._ I thought it was just a dream, now I know that dreams really do come true."

The comment would've, naturally, been flattering to the blonde… had it not been that it came from the mouth of Francis Bonnefoy, and the fact that he was dressed in nothing but a towel that hung snuggly on his hips. Alice looked away, and Michelle giggled. It was just like the good old times.

"Bollocks, frog. Now go put on some pants." Francis laughed and wagged a finger at her as he plopped down on the empty seat beside her. Alice groaned and kept her gaze away from the flirtatious blond beside her.

"Ah, ah, ah. You might want to behave, you're living in my house now." The evil smirk that rested on his lips only added to the stress that she was dealing with at the moment, and she wanted nothing more than to smash his face into smithereens.

Michelle huffed. "This is just as much my house as it is yours. I pay half the rent _and_ I'm still in college, if anything this is _my_ house." Francis rolled his eyes at his sister and waved her away with his hand.

"_Ce n'est pas le point._" He mumbled. "The point _is_ that we are gathered at this table because our beautiful friend here needs to explain to us about her little _fiancé_."

Alice winced. She didn't like the way it rolled off his tongue, or anyone's tongue to be honest… She just wished that something, _anything_ would happen so that her parents didn't have to come visit. She didn't want her parents to find out the truth, but she also couldn't possibly bring five years' worth of lies to life in less than twenty-four hours… at least, not by herself.

She blinked and her eyes met with a painting on the wall before she sighed. "You both know _why _I would say something like that to them, right?" The siblings looked at each other, then back at Alice and nodded.

Alice had told them both once before about her rocky family relationship. Both of her parents were aristocratic beings that wanted nothing but the same for their kids, they even tried to set Alice up with a prince once. Her elder brother, Peter, had always been the golden child of the family. He followed every rule, attended to their parents every whim, and learned how to kiss their arses in order to get what he wanted. Of course, this left Alice with only that example to follow, and even then she managed to mess things up. She was never good enough for her parents so when she finally turned eighteen she moved to America (and lived with Michelle and Francis for a bit).

"Well... When Peter told the family about his engagement, mum had been so excited. She called me to tell me and I congratulated him, but soon the conversation turned to me and she begun to pick apart reasons why I'm not married yet, so I just told her that I was engaged as well." Alice shrugged her shoulders as if it were no big deal and Michelle frowned.

"Your mother can be a real _chienne_!" Francis shot her a look and she quickly added: not in a bad way.

Alice chuckled. "Don't worry. I agree with you. She compares Peter and I in everything and it was driving me bonkers at the time so... There you go! You have officially met my fiancé."

Francis chuckled darkly and rested his elbows on the table, bringing his face dangerously close to hers. "Every act of rebellion expresses a nostalgia for innocence and an appeal to the essence of being- Albert Camus. I say we find you someone willing to act like they're in love with you for however long your parents are here for."

Michelle smiled gleefully in her chair. "_Oui_! Oh this is going to be so much fun, and it shouldn't be too hard!"

Alice opened her mouth to protest, but Francis put a finger to her lips. She let out an annoying breath through her nose and frowned. "Hey! Do not make that face. I know you wanted it to be _moi,_ but there is no need to be so upset. I can find someone for you in a heartbeat, finding people love in my expertise." His thick French accent lingered on the last word and he smirked.

Michelle knew that look, so she laughed. "You might want to get dressed, that look only means one thing…"

. . .

Alice shifted uncomfortably in the red bar stool and stared intently at the glass of clear substance that was shoved her way as Francis took a seat beside her. Her gaze then landed on him and he pouted. "Relax, it's just water." Still a bit on edge, Alice took the glass and pressed it to her lips. "Or at least I think it is."

This resulted in the pig-tailed girl spewing the bit of liquid in her mouth on the floor. The Frenchman laughed. "It's not funny, you asshat." She huffed and crossed her arms.

"No, _mon ami_." Francis said, rather coldly, as he pulled her arms from their current position. "Do not cross your arms like that." Rolling her eyes, Alice dropped her arms limply to her sides. "And no cursing, how do you expect to find a fake fiancé with a mouth like that?"

She was seconds away from gripping the Frenchman's ponytail, but her better judgment decided against it. "I still don't think this is a good idea."

"You didn't think it was a bad idea when you told maman." He remarked, quite childishly. "You just need a drink, is all." Francis' hand shot up in the air and he called the bartender over with a flick of the wrist. The tall, muscular, and rather handsome blond flashed a smile excused himself from a conversation with a rather… mysterious looking man at the other end of the bar.

"I do not need a drink, it's only a quarter past two."

The bartender only laughed at her remark. "Any time is a good time for a drink. S'long as you don't have something important to do later." He sent her a wink which caused her pale cheeks to flush. As mouthy as she may have been, she was always so shy around men... well except for Francis.

"Get her the strongest thing you've got, _Elle va en avoir besoin!"_ Alice scowled and lightly pushed Francis' shoulder. The bartender quirked an eyebrow at the pair as he disappeared under the counter, his spiked hair and tiny black hat sticking up above the counter.

"Uh… I have Bacardi, will that do?" Francis nodded and the bartender grabbed two shot glasses from behind him. He filled the glasses with the alcohol and smirked. "So, Francis. You look awfully happy today… Did something happen?" The man wiggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manor and Alice groaned, letting her head slam onto the counter.

Francis sighed. "Don't mind her, Mathis. She's under a lot of stress right now." He took the small glass in his hand, tilted his head back, and let out a small hiss along with a sour stare_. I'm sticking to wine_… he muttered before he continued. "Her parents flying in from England and she's been lying to them about having a fiancé so I called a couple of guys- who are extremely late by the way- to help her out."

Mathis let a low chuckle escape his throat when the woman kicked his friend in the shin. "Stop telling my personal problems to people I don't know." She seethed after drinking her shot as well.

"Why don't you just do it?" The bartender asked. His elbows were now on the counter as his hands held up his chin.

"_Moi_?" Mathis nodded. "Three reasons, _mon ami_. One: Her mother knows me, and she does not like me as much as she used to when we were kids. Two: She obviously wouldn't let me. And three: I have my sights set on someone else."

Alice knitted her eyebrows together and Mathis grinned. "_What_? You have your sights set on someone else when you have a beautiful woman like that looking for a fake fiancé? _Shit_, if I wasn't gay I would've done it myself, sweet cheeks." The wink that was sent her way caused a deep scarlet tint to cover her cheeks. "I'm not sure Lukie over there would ever forgive me if I gave into your charms." He bobbed his head in the direction of the man he was talking to earlier.

Now aware that three pairs of eyes rested on him, Lukas turned away and toyed with the straw in his glass. "Isn't he a cutie?" The British girl giggled childishly at his comment but nodded. "Now, if you'll excuse me… I need to get back to my _very_ serious conversation."

Mathis said his goodbye and nonchalantly walked over to his boyfriend and planted a soft, chaste kiss on his lips. Alice _aww'd_ in response but Francis rolled his eyes. Just as Alice was about to ask Francis who it was that he had mentioned before, the bell chimed from the front of the shop.

Alice watched in silence as Francis stood up and happily greeted the duo that entered. They looked almost identical, but she could still pick out the differences. One was taller, and had captivating blue eyes, hidden by his glasses, that would flicker in her direction whenever Francis bopped his head toward her. He had a slight cowlick and wore a smile dazzling enough to wow the Queen.

The other one was shorter, but not by much, maybe an inch or two. He had rare and alluring violet eyes, masked by glasses as well, that shone with kindness. He would nod occasionally, and smile but not as bright as the man beside him. His mop of blond hair had a wild curl that bounced whenever he would giggle.

Francis sent one last look her way then took the shorter of the two by the hand, and walked off in the opposite direction. Alice's eyes widened in panic and she turned in her stool to face the various cups and glasses that adorned the wooden walls. She stayed like that for a couple of minutes, unaware of the man that stood behind her with a childlike grin.

She raised her hand to call the bartender over and let out a yelp when her wrist was covered by someone else's hands. She turned around sending punches, kicks, and British curses his way, all of which he avoided… well except for the curses. The man chuckled at her actions and shot his hands up in surrender.

"Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to upset you." He took the seat beside her and extended his arm toward her. Alice stared at him curiously, but shook his hand. "Alfred F. Jones: The Hero!"

"That's quite a name you've made for yourself if you're willing to introduce yourself like that to strangers. May I ask why they call you the hero?" His hand then snaked its way into his pocket and he pulled out a small rectangular card. Alice took the card and raised an eyebrow.

**ALFRED F. JONES  
THE HERO  
(407)-XXX-XXXX**

Alfred grinned. "I help people in need, small problems and big problems. I mostly do community work, when I'm off school duty. I also help little British ladies with adorable accents by pretending to be their fiancé for their parents."

Alice's cheeks flushed and she ripped her gaze away from the American. She distracted herself by drawing circles on the marble countertop with her fingers.

"Don't be embarrassed, dude. If it makes you feel any better, you're the first British lady I've helped with that problem." Alfred sent her a sloppy smile and Alice rolled her eyes playfully. "Speaking of British ladies I'm helping out, I'd at least like to know the name of my damsel in distress."

Her emerald eyes caught his in a dangerously heated stare-off. She could feel her cheeks warm up again and she didn't like it one bit. Alice had never met a guy that could say such nice things so... genuinely. It almost made her wonder if it was all a dream.

"Uh, sorry. How incredibly rude of me. My name's Alice... Alice Kirkland."

"Alice." He hummed as another childlike smile adorned his thin lips. "Nice to properly meet ya!"

* * *

**Ahh! Who loved the little DenNor cameo? One of my freinds told me that I was like the female, Spanish version of Denmark so i thought, hey why not? And Ahh FraCan I ship them but I also ship PruCan... like all the ships I have for Hetalia cause me constant inner conflict!**

Translations:  
_Bonjour, vous démon laid de l'enfer.- _Good morning, ugly demon from hell.  
_Ce n'est pas le point.- _That's not the point!  
_chienne- _bitch


	3. Chapter 3 (REDONE)

Guys! i start school in 2 days 0.0  
I got my schedule and I have a College Level European History class and Psychology, plus all my core classes are honors :D I feel accomplished, but that also brings me to the sad news. due to school starting, and my college class, updates will be _SLOW_ I will try my hardest to update at least once a week, just for you guys! I'm working on updates for my other stories as well!

Now onto the **IMPORTANT** stuff!  
**You're probably wondering why I deleted the first chapter three. It's because a very wise reviewer told me that i was falling into some plot cliches I had so i decided to rewrite HALF of the chapter. I switched it up a bit, but not enough to affet how i want the overall plot to be! I hope I did better this time! Enjoy! **  
**(IF YOU'VE ALREADY READ THE FIRST CHAPTER 3 UPLOAD START READING AT THE AWKWARD LINE BREAK![not the one below])**

**enjoy my cupcakes! **

* * *

"-also, do you remember what I told you yesterday?"

Alfred took a bite of his burger. "Umhm."

Alice raised an eyebrow at him and shook her head. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Nope!"

"Ace." She muttered sarcastically.

It was nearing five in the afternoon, and Alfred had picked Alice up from her shift at Roma's Diner. She had an extremely difficult and unfocused day at work, which resulted in her getting scolded at in both English and Italian, but who could blame her? She was on her way to pick up her family after five years of not seeing them, with a man she had just met and who was pretending to be her fiancé. It was all too surreal.

Alfred, on the other hand, acted like the whole situation was _normal_. He was nonchalantly chewing on his burger that they got after having to stop at McDonalds for one, as he drove toward the airport. He thought of the whole thing as a new adventure, something completely fascinating and unexplored. He even found Alice to be attractive, but he wasn't going to tell her any time soon. He just wanted to be a hero.

As the pair drove past the sign that indicated the airport to be less than ten minutes away, Alice felt a wave of panic hit her like a ton of bricks and she began to fidget with everything she could find. Alfred glanced at her from the side of his glasses. He took her hand in his, the one that previously housed the burger, and shot her a small, reassuring smile.

"Cut it out!" She hissed as her cheeks flushed a pale pink tint. Alfred let a deep chuckle ring in the car.

"Aww c'mon. You're a horrible fiancée you know that, right?" Alice rolled her eyes when she finally managed to rip her hand from his grip. "Haha! Look even the radio agrees with me! _Why you gotta be so rude? Don't you know I'm human too_?"

"...idiot." She muttered under her breath as she suppressed a laugh. "I hope you know that you're bloody terrible at singing."

Alfred laughed, a rather loud and obnoxious laugh, and nodded. "Wait till you see me dance. That's a sight, I promise you!"

Alice had the ghost of a smile on her lips. "You're a very surprising person, Mr. Jones."

Alfred frowned at the use of his last name. "It feels so odd to hear that outside of work..." Alice remembered him mentioning something about being a teacher when they got to know each other the day before. She thought he would've been comfortable hearing it already... Guess not.

"Sorry... Alfred." His lips portrayed a lopsided grin and he laughed again.

After that, the car ride was held together by the constant changes of radio stations in attempt to find a decent song. Alfred would sing and hum his way through the songs as he tapped on the steering wheel lightly with one hand and changed the stations with the other. Alice stared out of the window, trying not to let the panic get the best of her. The closer they got, the more anxious she grew. She wasn't ready to see her family.

_Not at all._

The pair parked in the third floor of the car park, mostly because Alfred couldn't be bothered to drive any higher. As soon as they parked, Alice had begun to let her panic show. Her body was trembling and she even tugged at her pigtails a few times. Alfred had tried to calm her down, but she insisted that she was fine and didn't need any help.

"You know..." Alfred began as he broke the awkward elevator silence. "Your parents won't believe this façade without a ring, so I thought I'd give you one." The American reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, red, velvety box. His smile was small and a bit odd compared to the ones Alice had seen so far, but she deemed it worthy of making her heart flutter... Bloody American.

When he opened the box, Alice's breath hitched at the beauty of the ring. It was simple, yet elegant. A thin, white gold band with a bright fourteen karat diamond in the middle. The British girl's eyes flickered between Alfred and the ring. "Alfred... I... Where did you get this?"

A look of momentary grief adorned his features, but he quickly shook it off and smiled. "Someone owed me a favor." He replied vaguely with a shrug. He took the ring out of its holder, with great ease, and slipped it onto her trembling hand just as the elevator door d_ing_-ed open. The group of people gathered outside aww'd and Alice hid her face in her hands from embarrassment. "Ain't she cute?" Alfred said aloud as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and practically dragged her out of the elevator.

When they were on their way to the terminals, Alice finally mustered up the courage to talk. "...thank you, Alfred... For everything. I don't know many guys who would waste their time doing what you're doing. I appreciate it..."

Alfred looked distracted as she talked, but still smiled warmly. "Hm? No problem, little lady. It's what heroes are for."

* * *

Alice nodded in appreciation, and turned her head to face him. Instead of finding a mess of blue eyes and goofy smiles at her side, she saw a tall man's shrinking image zip into a nearby shop. "Alfred?" She called, her tone incredulous.

Alfred met her eyes through the passing crowds and held his hands up as if to say: give me a second! Alice let out an annoyed huff of air that caused her bangs to flutter above her. If there was one thing she had learned about the strange American from the night before it was that he acted purely on impulse, one that strongly mimicked that of a small child.

After a few minutes of waiting, Alice found herself sitting on a nearby plastic chair as she watched unfamiliar faces zoom by. She straightened out the folds of her light blue work dress and tugged restlessly at the pockets of her apron. "Still nervous?" Alfred asked, offering a small smile in her direction.

Alice's eyes flickered toward the bouquet of roses in Alfred's hands and she raised an eyebrow. The two shared a brief moment of facial gestures before Alfred caved in and slumped into the seat beside her.

"Think your mom will like 'em?" She tried her hardest to stifle a smirk at the pure innocence and genuine worry that ran through the boy's voice. It warmed her heart to know that a complete stranger cared so much for the opinion of the mother of a women he's just met... Try saying that five times, fast.

"She might." Alice said with a shrug as she directed her gaze back to the crowds. "Flowers are a passion of hers... but she comes off a bit rude toward people who don't drown themselves in money."

Alfred chuckled at her statement and brought a nervous hand to the back of his neck. "Well, I sure as hell hope so, dude. I gave up my mortgage payment _and_ my first born child for these flowers... Who coulda known how expensive things are at the airport."

Green eyes rolled at his attempt of a joke. "Everyone who has ever traveled knows how absurdly expensive anything at the airport is."

"Shows why I didn't know."

Alfred sat the flowers on his lap and brought both hands to the back of his neck. He closed his eyes, growing more tired by the second, and drifted into a short-lived nap.

Alice stood up as her name rang throughout the airport called by none other than Grace Kirkland. The blonde waved to get her daughter's attention. Alice lightly tapped Alfred's shin with the tip of her shoe and the American shot up beside her. He rubbed his eyes, shamelessly, and wrapped his arm around the girl's shoulder.

When they arrived at the group, Alfred housed a wild smile and introduced himself. "Hello, I'm Alfred Jones, very nice to meet you all. I've heard nothing but good things about all of you." He then pulled the flowers out from behind his back and handed them to Grace. "I got these for you, Alice told me that roses are your favorite."

Alice stood, her mouth slightly parted. Grace pressed her red coated lips into a thin line and eyed Alfred, then Alice.

"I appreciate the gesture, and yes roses are my favorite flowers, but flattery will get you nowhere with me young man." She quipped. Alfred simply nodded, that smile never leaving his face. "Alice, sweetie. What are you wearing?" Her tone came out a hushed whisper, but Alfred still picked up at it.

"That's her work uniform." He replied plainly. Alice looked up at him, eyes begging for him to belt up.

"Oh? Where do you work? I haven't been told about this." That was Paula, her brother's wife. She and Alice hadn't been on the best of terms when they met, but they weren't on the worst either.

"She-" Alice rammed her elbow into his rib and glared at him as he hissed.

_"I_ work at this Italian restaurant in the streets of Downtown Orlando. It's kind of small and secluded, but it's got amazing food and a festive and cultural ambiance."

"Oh you're a chef?" Her father asked and she quickly shook her head and giggled slightly.

"Thank God, I don't think that restaurant would still be standing if you were." Peter sneered, recalling the many times Alice had almost burnt their house down as teenagers. His comment earned a small tug of his hand and a stern look from Paula.

"I'm not that bad a cook..."

Grace sighed and placed a hand on the shoulder that wasn't occupied by Alfred's hand. "Poppet... Yes you are."

Alice frowned slightly and her eyes met with the tile floor. Alfred and Grace were caught in a heated stare-off and Paula, sensing the tension growing between the six of them, suggested that they go pick up their suitcases from baggage claim.

. . .

"You'll have to excuse the lack of space in my car." Alfred commented as he pushed the last bag into the trunk of his red Jeep Wrangler.

Four people were currently crammed into the backseat of his car which was only supposed to house three. Alice sat up front, while in the backseat Grace, Oliver, and Peter sat and Paula had a place on Peter's lap.

When he climbed into the car, Alfred felt the tension rise and rushed to get the car to start. They drove in an uncomfortably awkward silence, aside from the various songs on the radio, but Grace was the first one to break it.

"So, Alfred. Tell me about yourself." She was genuinely curious. Something about him didn't seem right.

"Waddya wanna know?" He flashed her a smile through the rear-view mirror.

"The basics, poppet. How old are you, where do you work, what do you like to do in your spare time, how did you meet my daughter?"

Alice's eyes widened. She didn't think her mother was going to ask them how they met, and in retrospect she probably should've seen it coming. Alfred, however, answered each question without as much as a stutter.

"I'm twenty-one years old. I work as a high school US History Teacher. My free time includes tons of grading, and video games or movies while Alice stays beside me, nose deep in some book. And I actually met her through a mutual friend. We've been inseparable since." For added effect, Alfred took Alice's hand and gave it a short, chaste kiss. Peter scoffed from his corner and Paula lightly slapped his shoulder once more.

Grace nodded slowly, taking in every word that left the American's mouth. "Hm... Which friend?"

"Francis." Alfred hummed whilst Alice huffed. Grace stared between then and laughed, mockingly.

"You can't be serious."

Alice took a deep breath. "Yes. I am serious, mum and I can't thank him enough." Taking advantage of the fact that their hands where still intertwined, Alice gave his hand a light squeeze.

From beside her, Oliver took his wife's hand in his as his blue eyes quietly begged her to stop interrogating. Grace answered with huff, eyes wandering toward the blur of blended colors as they drove by.

The rest of the car ride was silent, except for the constant directions that were spat out by the ridiculously monotonous voice from Alfred's cell phone. Peter had managed to book a resort online and it almost killed Alice to know that they were staying for an _entire_ month. She almost pulled her hair out when he told her. Alice also found out that she had plans the next day for taking her family to lunch. Unfortunately, Alice was stuck on her own, since it was Thursday and Alfred had school the next day.

After dropping Alice's family off, and politely saying goodbye, Alfred felt a sharp breath escape his lips as his eyes widened in realization of his action. His head snapped toward Alice and just as he was about to open his mouth to apologize, he found Alice with the ghost of a smile on her face.

"I honestly thought I would be the first to do that." She mimicked his action and then broke out into a small fit of laughter.

"Huh?"

"You know, sigh in relief that they're gone." Alfred's face flushed lightly and Alice laughed once more.

He turned his attention away from the woman beside him and back onto the road. His fingers tapped lightly on the wheel. "I'm sorry, I hope it didn't come off as rude!"

Alice scoffed and rolled her eyes. "That was after one day, Alfred. Imagine after twenty-three years."

"No offense, but I don't know how you're made it this far without me! It was less than five hours and you barely stood up for yourself." It was a joke, she knew it was, but for some reason the amount of _truth_ that was in the statement was a slap to the face.

Alice raised an eyebrow at him before opening her mouth and clenching it shut. She repeated the action three more times, which was observed by small side glances from Alfred, and turned away from him, toward the window. She wasn't in the mood for an argument, she just wanted to get to Francis' apartment, lay down on the couch, and rest for hours on end.

When they arrived in the parking lot of Francis apartment, which had taken some time to find due to Alice's temporary vow of silence, Alfred shifted awkwardly in his seat to face Alice. She untangled her arms from their crossed position on her chest and fidgeted as she attempted to unlock the door.

"Alice, I didn't mean to offend you by what I said." He apologized. His tone hinted sincerity but Alice's mind argued otherwise.

She sighed and turned to him; her expression remained unreadable for a span of two minutes – which almost felt like hours to the impatient blond. "Thanks, Alfred." She flashed a smile at him and with that she opened the car door.

"Wait, thank you for what?" He asked after his moment of astonishment passed.

"Everything." She was about to close the door to the car, but then gestured toward the ring on her finger. "Do you want it back?"

Alfred blinked, but shook his head. "Keep it, just don't loose it. I can imagine you'll be more than able to handle not losing a ring, am I right?"

"Of course I can you, bloody wanker!" Alfred laughed a genuine, all-american laugh before driving off and waving goodbye to Alice.


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow I haven't updated any stories in two weeks. I feel terrible! So to make it up to you guys, I will update this one and _Time In a Bottle_, today (Maybe _Delinquency _if i finish typing it up).**

**Anyways, if you have already read this story, and have not read the changes I made to chapter 3 please check that out before you continue reading. **

**As for a certain scene in this chapter, there is a part with Lake Eola, and that is a real lake/park in downtown Orlando (FL), and it's one of my favorite places in the world. If you want links to pictures feel free to PM me or just type in "Lake Eola Orlando Florida" into Google images. The restaurant name is fictitious though. Um i think that's all for now. let me know what cha think!**

**Enjoy, my cupcakes**

* * *

Alice drummed her fingers on the steering wheel impatiently. She had called her parents over two hours ago and they still weren't ready to leave. From her lips escaped a tired, and clearly bored, sigh. She ran a hand through her hair, which she had left straight - due to her mother's dislike of her pigtails, and turned the radio up a bit louder.

It took another fifteen minutes of waiting, in the parking lot of the resort in which they stayed at, but they finally made it downstairs. Alice rolled her eyes at the immaturity displayed by her older brother as he yelled at their parents and his wife, obviously fighting over who was going in the front. In the end, it was Paula who ended up in the front seat.

"Anywhere in particular you guys want to eat?" Alice asked before pulling out of her parking space. "Francis and Michelle are more than thrilled to see you guys again; they wouldn't leave me alone last night."

Grace pursed her lips up at her daughter's comment, but sighed. "Anything but fast food." The other three agreed and Alice nodded.

"Italian it is, then." She typed up a quick text message and drove off toward the streets of Downtown.

...

Bustling with wild crowds and eccentric cars, the Downtown area sprung to life that Thursday afternoon. It was odd to see the streets so full on a weekday, but it was near lunch hour so Alice had no one but herself to blame for the lack of parking spots.

After five minutes of searching, they found a spot relatively close to the restaurant and gave them a clear view of Lake Eola - which, according to her mother, was their next destination. The family walked in silence as they followed behind Alice and tried to avoid the groups of city dwellers that passed by them, no trace of emotion on their faces.

Alice occasionally glanced back at her family, who stared wide-eyed at the enormity of the business-like buildings that sprung from the concrete and towered over them. "I feel like an ant." Paula huffed, which caused Alice, and only Alice, to laugh.

The Briton cleared her throat and jerked her head to the side. "We're here." She sung. The building was only a few stories tall, unlike the ones around the corner, and painted green, white, and red in honor of the Italian flag. The windows were wide and showcased the hectic rush of lunch hour and the waiters that zipped throughout the restaurant. From the glass door, a podium - that was left unattended - could be seen.

Alice opened the door and the smell of warm, Italian bread and homemade pasta sauce caressed their sense of smell. She heard Paula and Peter hum in acceptance as they gathered at the podium.

A few seconds later, a bright, cheery Italian walked up to the family and smiled, enveloping Alice in a tight hug, in which she had to awkwardly tap his back for him to let go. "Ciao, bella. I thought you didn't work today." His head cocked to the side innocently and her family looked shocked at the man's extreme display of affection.

"I don't," Alice responded with a giggle. "My family wanted somewhere to eat so I offered the best place in town." He smiled brightly and nodded. "Family, this is Feliciano, he's my co-worker. Feliciano, they are my family."

"Ciao! Benvenuto, famiglia!" Feliciano took each of their hands in a weak, but highly energetic, handshake. Her family exchanged confused glances, but smiled regardless. "Where would you like to sit this afternoon, bella?"

"I um, actually have a reservation. Francis and Michelle should have been here by now."

Hazel eyes lit up and he nodded as he grabbed five menus from the podium and led them toward a table in the back that was large enough for ten. Upon spotting them, Michelle shot up and have Grace a huge hug; shouting things like I miss you mom, I'm so glad you're back, and I love you.

Alice shyly slipped by the scene, which caught almost everyone's attention, and took a seat next to Francis, whom smiled brightly at her. "I didn't get a chance to see you before you left, the whole prissy rich girl look suits you, but it's so strange to see. C'est la vie." She scoffed and punched the Frenchman on the shoulder.

"Bonjour!" Francis greeted as Alice's family came to the table. He hugged them all and sat down, rather quickly. The table shifted into an awkward silence as everyone looked at the menus, that is, everyone except Francis, Michelle, and Alice who held their menus up and communicated solely through facial expressions.

"Welcome to _An Evening in Roma_, I am Lovino Vargas and I will be your server today. May I start you off with something to drink?" His voice was so monotone and it was easy to spot that the line had been rehearsed over a thousand times. He clicked his pen and stared up at the people in the table.

"Lovi! You're working today!" Alice cheered from behind her menu. Lovi was usually one of the... Ruder waiters, but he was kind (and highly sarcastic) to Alice.

He narrowed his eyes at her and motioned at the busyness of the restaurant. "Yeah, and you're not." His lips spread into a thin line and she pouted.

"Don't be like that, Lovi." He rolled his eyes and hurried her order. "I want water with lemon, I know mom and Paula do too. Michelle likes lemonade, dad and Peter like iced tea and Francis is good with..."

Francis brought a hand to his heart in faux hurt. "You forgot about me already? What has Alfred done to you? I'm fine with a water as well."

Lovino scribbled down the orders so he wouldn't forget, but did so with a raised eyebrow. He finished writing the drink orders and stuffed the notebook in his apron. "You know Alfred?" His tone was genuinely curious and Alice could feel her mom staring at her.

She gulped, but put forth a mask of courage as she spoke. "Of course I do, I talk about him all the time. Shows how much you listen to me."

"They're engaged, silly." Michelle added, although her tone screamed: Lovi you idiot don't ruin this for her and play along.

Seeming to take the hint, Lovino nodded and chuckled. "Right! That's the loud American you're always talking about. I should've known, mio male. I guess I should start paying attention to you more often."

That earned a chuckle from everyone at the table and he left to get the drinks. "You seem awfully friendly with him, and with the other Italian too." Her mom muttered, in a tone of accusation.

Francis had to refrain from rolling his eyes and began to play with his sister's hair instead. "They're my co-workers, mum. We're all family in this restaurant, and we treat each other as such."

Grace raised her eyebrows and nodded slowly, but kept the encounter tucked away in the back of her mind. Oliver sighed and placed his hand over hers in attempt to calm her down. Lovino returned with their drinks and began to take their orders. When it came time for Alice's order, he shot her a look and she muttered what she wanted and excused herself to the bathroom.

It took only a couple of minutes but Lovino met her in their secret discussion spot, which was a staff closet that stored cleaning supplies.

"What the hell, Alice? Why didn't you tell me about you and Alfred?" Alice took a deep breath and began to explain the situation; from her first attempt at the lie, to her parents vacation, to Alfred. Lovino crossed his arms and pursed his lips. "Fine. You should've told me beforehand, I could've ruined the whole thing for you, Tesoro. I'll let fratello know so he doesn't do anything stupid either."

Alice hugged him, an action which shocked the Italian for two reasons - one: he wasn't used to getting hugs and two: he didn't think Alice was physically capable of giving them. After saying goodbye, Alice left and took her seat beside Francis right as Paula finished telling a joke that caused the whole table to laugh, even Alice.

After that, the luncheon went smoothly. Feliciano even came by to congratulate Alice on the engagement, and even acted upset when saying that Alice had kept it a secret from him - much to Alice's annoyance. After the meal was paid for and the leftovers were wrapped up, the group walked back to the cars; Francis and Michelle had managed to get a better parking spot than them.

When Alice turned the corner to her car, her phone rang. She saw Alfred's name on the screen and raised an eyebrow, but answered. "Yes?"

"Wow, some greeting I get, thanks babe." Alfred joked. Alice rolled her eyes and unlocked the car.

"Okay, get on with it, poppet." The word sounded strained, foreign, and unwanted. Thankfully, her family was too busy arguing over a place to leave the leftovers.

Alfred chuckled. "You're terrible at this, you know? You make it seem as if you've never had a boyfriend... Have you? Had a boyfriend, I mean."

Alice felt her cheeks warm up. She's never really appreciated the title all that much, but she did have 'friends' growing up. "Whether or not I have had a boyfriend in the past is none of your concern, Jones." She whisper-shouted.

Alfred laughed - his loud, incredulous, and entertaining laugh - then snorted. "I'll take that as a no." He chuckled once more before continuing. "I actually wanted to ask you what you were doing, I'm bored out of my mind and I have nothing to do today."

"I'm in Downtown with my family." Alice said hesitantly as they walked over to her. "They want to walk around Lake Eola. If you want to, you can come. I have leftovers from Roma's, do you want some?"

Alice heard shuffling from the other line and rolled her eyes. "Food and sightseeing, I'm always in. See ya in a bit, sugar!"

Before Alice could mutter a response, Alfred hung up and she sighed. "Alfred is on his way." She said as she locked the car and held the box of leftovers tightly in her hand.

. . .

Lake Eola had been Alice's favorite place to go when she moved to Florida; Francis would take her whenever she needed to clear her mind. It was scenic, picturesque, and calming in a strange way. The sounds of the fountain that sat in the middle of the lake were often overpowered by the sounds of impatient honking from the traffic.

It is the home of various ducks and swans and housed a beautiful array of sculptures around the exterior of the lake. If one came on certain days of the year, certain events were hosted; such as art festivals, movie nights, orchestras, et cetera. By the by, it was a breathtaking place, especially if one found a mix between nature and city life calming.

"This is nice." Paula hummed appreciatively, snapping Alice out of her thoughts. The Briton nodded and looked around to see that her parents, Peter, Francis, and Michelle had all wandered off. As if reading her mind, Paula spoke. "They wanted to go on the paddle-boats disguised as Swans… I'm terrified of falling into the lake, so yeah…"

Alice nodded, and smiled. "I am too, I don't really know how to swim. I had a bad experience as a kid."

Paula laughed childishly, but then covered her mouth, embarrassed. "I know, Peter told me, oh god I shouldn't be laughing, I'm so sorry!"

"Don't worry about it that was ages ago." Alice replied kindly. "Peter was always something else."

"I couldn't agree more!" Paula muttered with an eye roll.

After their conversation, the pair found an empty spot on the grass and sat down, watching as their family – and Alice's friends - rode around the lake in the plastic swans. They conversed every once in a while, comments about the weather or whom walked by mostly, but it was comforting.

"Alice!" A voice called from behind the two, which caused Alice to sigh and Paula to snap her head back. A warm, all-American smile greeted Paula and Alfred took a seat between the two. He pecked Alice on the cheek and planted a soft kiss on the back of Paula's hand.

Alice had to refrain from commenting something out of line and toyed with the take out box on her lap. "It's cold, Alfred. Do you still want it?"

Blue eyes sparkled and he nodded. "Cold or not, the food at _Roma's_ is delicious! And so is a cute little waitress that works there. You might know her, she goes by the name of Alice Kirkland."

Alice rolled her eyes and nudged Alfred with her elbow, causing the American to chuckle. Paula smiled admirably at his flirtatious attempt, but stared back at her husband as he argued with the man at the dock. A few seconds later, her phone rung and she sighed.

"Yes, Peter?" She answered. His voice was heard on the other line and she nodded, slowly standing up and catching the attention of the couple beside her. "Yeah, okay. I'll be right there, sweetie." She hung up and shot the pair an apologetic smile. "Sorry guys, Peter wants me to go with him, you don't mind right?"

"Of course not!" Alfred nearly shouted as he snaked his arm around Alice's shoulder. "Have fun, Paula!" The Australian flashed a smile and walked away. As soon as she was out of eyesight, Alice shrugged his shoulder off. "Now that we're alone…" Alfred began as he inched his face closer to Alice's.

Alice put her hand out and rolled her eyes. "Nope don't even think about it."

Alfred laughed and returned his attention back to his food. "I was going to ask you if you've ever had a boyfriend, sheesh. You can't go around jumping to conclusions, Alice." Her eyes glared in his direction, but she stayed quiet. "Aw, c'mon, Ally. I want to know more about you!"

"And asking about my previous relationships is the best way to start?" She huffed.

"Sure, why not?" Alfred said with a shrug as he chewed on a bit of Alfred Sauce-Covered Penne Pasta.

Alice sighed, but gave in. "I've had one. I don't like the term boyfriend and commitment scares me, so I tend to have more flings than I do anything else, and it's not like I have a lot of those either."

Alfred's eyebrows raised. "Really? You seem like you could be the boyfriend type." Alice shrugged. "So who's the only man I have competition with?" Alfred joked.

As her cheeks flushed a pale pink, Alice mumbled something under her breath and Alfred rolled his eyes.

"What?"

"Francis…" She mumbled, slightly louder.

Alfred stared at her for a while, eyes filled with curiosity and amusement. "Really? Hm…So you do have _experience_."

The way the last word rolled off of his tongue caused Alice's cheeks to burn and her gaze to drop to the grass beneath her. "You can't ask a lady things like _that_, Alfred!"

From beside her, Alfred was lost in one of his crazy laughing fits. Annoyed, and slightly irritated, by his response, Alice began to stand up, but a hand latched itself onto her wrist and gently tugged her back onto the grass.

"You're so much fun to mess with, Alice. Get your head out of the gutters." His laughing had faded down into mere nothingness, but amusement was still evident in his tone. Alice rolled her eyes, but turned her attention back to him.

The pair had spent the rest of the evening talking about embarrassing relationship stories and failed walk-of-shames. Francis and Michelle even joined in – after they got back from the lake, although Michelle said nothing in order to keep her brother's protective stare off of her. When the rest of the family had come back, the sun had already been long gone and the moonlight reflected peacefully off of the ripples of the lake.

After saying goodbye to Alfred and her roommates, Alice drove her family back to their resort. Paula was talking about how wonderful her day had been, and even Peter agreed. Her mother claimed to have gotten dizzy during the Swan ride, but made it clear that she had, in fact, enjoyed herself. Alice smiled happily to herself, mentally praising herself for her stroke of luck.

When she dropped her family off, Alice received a text from Alfred thanking her for a wonderful night. She responded with a simple _you're welcome_ and drove to her shared apartment. After Michelle opened the door for her, Alice trudged over to the couch and plopped down into her sleeping position, falling asleep not even ten minutes later.

* * *

**Translations:**

**French  
****C'est la vie-** Literal meaning: That is life. Used in the story as: Oh well.

**Italian  
Mio Male**- My bad  
**Benvenuto, famiglia**- Welcome, Family


	5. Chapter 5

**It's almost Halloween! Ah! my favorite holiday. I'm seventeen years old and i still dress up childishly to get candy :D  
Speaking of my favorite holiday, i might have a new story updated that day, or the day after, depending on how much time i have (this chaper literally took me two weeks to write because i wrote it in chunks.)**

**Anyways i don't have much time because im about to leave for school, so enjoy, my cupcakes!**

* * *

Alice sat in the far corner of Roma's Diner as she absently picked at the salad in front of her. She was waiting for her self-proclaimed best friend to come pick her up from work and so far he was thirty minutes late.

It was nearing ten o'clock and the restaurant just let their last reservation in. It was empty, save for a couple of customers here and there, and the surplus of staff allowed for everyone who hadn't taken a break that day to do so. That was the reason why Alice was suddenly soon joined by two completely different personalities.

"Ciao, bella!" Feliciano greeted as he sat in the chair across from her. Lovino rolled his eyes at his brother's loud mouth and pulled up a chair beside her, facing the back of the chair toward her as he settled into the seat.

"Hi Feli, Lovi! Nice to see the both of you on break, I was starting to think that your grandfather made you work every waking minute of your life." Lovino frowned at the use of his nickname, while Feliciano just shrugged.

"I don't mind really, I love working! I wish I did spend more time with Luddy though." He sighed dreamily about his long-term boyfriend and Alice's lips curled into a smile.

Lovino, on the other hand, rolled his eyes. "We can't go one minute without you mentioning that potato bastard, can we?" He muttered some unrecognizable Italian under his breath and Feliciano gasped. Alice giggled softly at their brotherly scene, and didn't even bother to hush the two when she answered her phone.

"Hello?" She answered sweetly, but frowned as soon as the voice on the other end spoke.

"Who is arguing in the background, Alice? Is it the Italian siblings from the other night? Why are you with them?"

After taking a deep breath, and counting to three in a cheap attempt to calm herself down, Alice answered. "I'm at work, waiting to be picked up because I let Michelle borrow my car. Calm down mother, Fra-Alfred should be here at any moment." After she heard her mom's silent, but accusing hmm, she continued. "There has to be some reason for you to call me so late at night, mother…"

"Oh right! Text me your address, darling. We want to visit you tomorrow, have dinner ready for us… or better yet, let Alfred cook. I want to see how grand my new son-in-law really is."

Alice's breath hitched and her eyes widened with fear. She definitely did not think this through. "You want my address… to the house I live in... with Alfred?" This was enough to shut the Italian brother's up. They glanced at each other and then at Alice, who looked like she was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Grace Kirkland sighed and Alice could picture her rolling her eyes. "Poppet, are you deaf? Yes that's what we want."

"I-… I. Yeah. S-sure. When I get home I'll let Alfred know that you lot are coming over…"

Alice's mother smiled. "Ace, darling. I'll see you tomorrow."

Before Alice could so much as muster a goodbye, Grace hung up the phone and Alice let hers slip out of her grasp. The phone bounced a couple of times on the wooden table and Alice ran a hand through her hair. "I'm such a twit." She muttered as she grabbed her purse from the empty space beside her. "I'm sorry guys, I have to make a phone call. I'll see you Monday, cheers."

Lovino and Feliciano stared blankly at her as she left, both completely confused with the situation.

**. . .**

Pebbles crackled under the car's rubber wheels as they drove deeper down the dirt road. Alice has lost all hope of finding Alfred's home about a mile back but seeing the silhouette of a house growing in her field of vision reassured her for at least a second. The drive to consisted of various twists and turns and an array of widely spaced out homes surrounded by miles of empty forests, not that Alice expected any less, Alfred always did seem like that type.

The place wasn't too far from the city-life. Maybe half an hour, but the seclusive nature of the place brought a nice, homey feeling to Alice.

She called Alfred the night before, informing him of the situation and asking of his assistance in the task. Of course, Alfred accepted, due to his heroic nature, and happily offered his scenic family home for the occasion. He even suggested that Alice bring a few of her things to give the house a better sense of her presence.

When they parked, Alice gawked at the breathtaking scenery of the place. There was a long river that ran behind the cabin-like home. Trees towered over the home keeping the temperature relatively cool, despite it being early autumn in the thick Florida heat. Even the elegantly placed stable a few hundred feet behind the home brought a nicer sense of nature to the scene.

"This is beautiful!" Michelle commented from the backseat, her face glued to the window much like a small child would do. Francis and Alice merely nodded in agreement.

As if on cue, an energetic blond bounced down the steps of the front porch and stopped at the driver's side window. Francis lowered the window and smiled at the American. "Nice place you have, mon ami. Calming, beautiful, overall _trés magnifique_*."

"Thanks, dude." Alfred replied with a nervous chuckle as his hand found a comforting place on the back of his neck. "So, uh. Are all of you coming for dinner tonight?" He asked.

"Yes!" Michelle shouted from the back, catching Alfred's attention.

The blond sent a small wink her way and Francis glared at him. "Perfect! Can't wait to see y'all there. C'mon Alice, you have to help me prepare!"

After the pair waved goodbye, but not before reviving threatening glares from Francis, Alice hesitantly followed Alfred inside. She had terrible anxiety when it came to being in unknown places. A knot always grew in her stomach and despite her various reassuring thoughts, when Alfred opened the door and allowed her to step in she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by all the _new_.

The smell of spices, meats, and herbs smacked Alice in the face when she stepped through the door followed by a constant sizzling sound that came from, where Alice assumed to be, the kitchen. The sizzling came to a halt for a few seconds and a beautiful woman emerged from the small doorway. Alice felt something gnaw at her stomach as she heard plates clanking before the woman reappeared, only this time she ran toward the pair.

The woman was beautifully built; she stood at five foot six, only a couple of inches shorter than Alice, and her body housed a naturally silky, caramel brown color, with waist length black hair and bright, welcoming blue eyes. She hugged Alfred tightly, as if she hadn't seen him in years (which was really only two minutes) and then smiled kindly at Alice, revealing her pearly white teeth.

"Hello, Alice!" She greeted, her voice soft, yet strong. "I'm Ayiana, Alfred's mother. Very nice to meet you. Alfred has informed me of everything, so you don't need to worry. I'll leave him to give you a tour while I finish up dinner. Matthew should be here in a couple of minutes, I'm so excited!"

Alice watched her nod and skip off. "Don't mind her, it's rare that I bring someone home, she gets excited about that kind of stuff." Alfred said with a shrug. Alice nodded and tightened the grip on her duffle bag. "Oh are those the things you brought to decorate?"

Alice nodded and lifted the bag over her shoulder as she set it down on the floor. "Uh, yeah. I have a few baby pictures, my high school diploma, a couple pairs of shoes, my extra work uniform, and I think I might have even brought my laptop, but I'm not sure."

"Awesome! Let's get to decorating!"

**. . .**

Around the time of seven pm, headlights illuminated the dimly lit living room; which was occupied by Alice and the Jones'. They finished decorating and cooking at around five and decided to watch The Avengers, by request of Alfred. Mathew arrived halfway through the movie and judging by the texts she revived, it was her family. She could almost feel herself sink into the sofa because of the apprehensive feeling that overtook her body.

Alfred sensed her distress and took her small hand in his, catching the Briton by surprise. He flashed her a reassuring smile and stood up, using their intertwined fingers as a catalyst to help her stand up. With a long, un-ladylike groan and a few giggles as response from Matthew and Ayiana, Alice stood up and walked with Alfred to the door.

"How do I look?" She asked, almost inaudibly as her hand clutched the doorknob. "Feminine?"

That was an understatement. As opposed to the usual skinny jean, t-shirt, and combat boot combo, Alice had on a sapphire dress that flowed mid-thigh, and white flats. Her blonde hairs were pulled back by a headband and her face had but the faintest trace of light make-up. "Very, very beautiful." Alfred replied.

Alice ignored the sudden rush of blood that grazed her cheeks and took a deep breath. She opened the door, just as Alfred turned on the porch light, and plastered a fake smile onto her face. Alfred gave her hand a tight squeeze and she nodded as the pair began to walk toward the car.

Francis bore an annoyed look on his face and Michelle looked like she was about ready to bang her head repeatedly against a brick wall. From the back, Alice and Alfred heard incessant bickering and when they opened the car door, Paula fell right onto the dusty, dirt road. Alice rushed to help her up and frowned at her older brother for letting such a thing happen.

"Are you okay?" Alfred asked after she stood and dusted herself off. Paula nodded.

"I'm fine, I'm used to it. Peter's a brute." The last part of the sentence was meant to be a joke but the strained laughter that came with it proved that it wasn't.

"Alice, darling. You look ace! I love it!" Mrs. Kirkland commented as she toyed with a strand of Alice's hair. Peter only mustered an eye roll. "Alfred, looking handsome as well." Alfred only hummed in response.

"You look beautiful tonight, poppet." Her father whispered when he hugged her. Alice relaxed upon allowing herself to be enveloped by the hug.

"Thanks dad."

"Well!" Alfred shouted with a clap of his hands; earning a sour look from Grace. "Who's hungry?"

**. . .**

The table erupted into a fit of laughter, Grace Kirkland included. If there was one thing that stuck-up British woman liked, it was other people's embarrassing stories.

"And after running around the block in just his underwear and a cape for half an hour, Mattie joined him and the boys had the entire neighborhood chanting their names as if they were actual superheroes. It was cute." Ayiana finished telling her story and both of her sons flushed deep scarlet as the rest if the table laughed.

Alice smiled playfully at Alfred, who just rolled his eyes and stabbed the peas on his plate. She nudged him with her elbow and he rolled his eyes, finding a sudden interest in the wooden wall. "Don't be such a tosser, Alfred." Alice whispered, just low enough so her mother couldn't hear.

"Stop calling me derogatory British words, Ally." He joked. Alice stuck her tongue out at Alfred and he mimicked her action. The playful banter fell in the eyes of Paula, her smile melancholic.

As the elders of the group continued to tell stories about their children; the young adults excused themselves to the living room, where they turned on the TV and began to scroll through the channels. They couldn't decide on whether to put a scary movie or a comedy, but according to Alfred, Alice would not have been comfortable with watching a scary movie.

She scoffed and opened her mouth to retort, but Alfred clamped his hand over her mouth. "She gets defensive when she knows I'm right." Alfred spoke for her. Michelle, Francis, and Matthew each rolled their eyes, while Peter and Paula chuckled.

"Get used to it, it gets worse once you're married." Peter joked. Paula shot him a dirty look from the corner of her eye and sighed.

"I can vouch for that." Paula hummed. The rest of the group laughed at her comment, but when Peter hugged her, she giggled. "It's all worth it, though."

Alice smiled, almost too forced, and softly punched Alfred's shoulder. The topic of marriage always made her extremely uncomfortable growing up, and even the mention of the word was enough to make her mentally cringe. Alfred sensed how uncomfortable she got and made a mental note to ask her about it later.

"You're not very affectionate…are you, Alice?" Paula asked; a question which made all eyes land on the blonde and caused her to blush.

She could almost feel herself shrink as she opened her mouth the respond. "Of course not!" A voice called from behind them. Alice pouted and let a long huff of air escape her slightly parted lips. Alfred stared intently at the wine-sipping elder behind them. "The way she showed her love to Peter, when they were younger, was by pushing him down a flight of stairs."

A couple nervous chuckles escaped into the tension filled room, but not one spoke. It was kind of hard to ignore the stare off that occupied Grace and Alfred. Even Alice's warm hands on his weren't enough to calm him down.

"Alice just so happens to be one of the most affectionate people I know, thank you very much. She's just scared to let everyone know who she truly is on the inside, and maybe if you took some time out of your _oh-so-busy_ schedule, you would know." Alfred's words were ice cold and Alice's breath got caught in her throat. The room fell silent.

Her body shook from nervousness and her gaze flicked from Alfred to her mother and back again. Alfred took her hand in his, a gesture that almost instantly calmed her down, and gave it a tight squeeze. Mrs. Kirkland shot one last ice glare his way and spun on her heel to join the elders in the kitchen.

When she left the room, everyone could breathe once again, but no one spoke for a while. Surprisingly enough, it was peter who broke the silence. "What you did there was ace! I've wanted to do stand up to this woman so long and I couldn't, but you _just_ met her and you've done more in week than I have in twenty-five years. I approve, Alice.

At the mention of her name, her gaze shot up from the carpeted floor and when she looked up at her brother she was bushing madly. "Thanks, I guess."

The rest of the night when smoothly. Alfred spent half of _28 Days Later_ latched onto Alice and claimed that it was for _her_ protection. Everyone in the room knew it wasn't true, but they let him continue on without_ too _much banter. When it was about one in the morning, Francis decided to call it a day and left with his sister and the Kirkland's.

All too soon Alice and Alfred simultaneously let out a long, relieved breath. "What a night."

"Tell me about it." Alfred commented as he focused his attention on washing the pile of dishes in the sink.

Alice fiddled with her thumbs. "Thanks, Al."

"Hm?" Alfred asked as his smiled widened, it was rare when Alice called him Al. "For what?"

"For standing up to my mom like that. I really appreciate it." Her voice was almost inaudible, but it didn't bother Alfred, he _had_ lived with Matthew his whole life.

He chuckled. "No problem Ally, that's what fake fiancés are for." Alice rolled her eyes, but let out a small giggle. She couldn't have chosen a better person for the job.

* * *

_trés magnifique - very magnificent (fr.)_

_*Ayiana - human name for native america. _


End file.
